The purpose of
this project is to promote and raise awareness of library projects that
incorporate role-playing games. The project aims to provide resources,
ideas, and networking for librarians and volunteers who would like to
host role-playing programs at their library.

Wizards of the Coast, publishers of the Dungeons &
Dragons RPG, has a program called Afternoon
Adventures with Dungeons & Dragons. This
project would build upon that idea, providing options to run other RPGs
(for those who prefer them over D&D, or
for situations where the D&D name may
attract a negative response), and providing further support for anyone
involved in such a program (including the D&D program).

A wiki
section in the Escapist Wiki. (If you would like to
participate in developing the wiki, please contact me -
- to set up an editor account.)

Some of the proposed resources include:

A
list of easy-to learn RPGs, with a slant towards games that are free,
cheap, or available as a donation from companies that participate in
library programs. (This is currently in development - see the Terra
Libris Wiki page)

Articles and tips on organizing such a program - making flyers,
posters, and handouts, setting schedules, and more.

Articles and tips on maintaining, and troubleshooting such a program -
keeping the players interested and coming back, dealing with any
objections to the program, and more.

Articles on source material - how to tie an adventure in with
literature available at the library, making recommended reading lists
for your adventures, running games that tie in with popular movies and
television shows, and more.

Features on participating libraries - the people involved, what games
they play, the response they have received, and more.

Distributing
flyers and information at library conventions, or possibly
even setting up a booth at them.

At present, the project really needs
ideas and inspiration from everyone, and networking with library
workers and volunteers who have experience with such a program, or who
are interested in getting that experience. If you would like to help
out, please contact Bill Walton at

NEWS

Nashua Library shows us how it's done - For those who are interested in running roleplaying games at libraries, take a lesson from the Nashua Public Library in New Hampshire - their promotional banner and copy (below) are bound to get some kids interested in signing up:

Once
you've squeezed all the fun you can out of computer-driven fun this
Christmas vacation week, consider kicking it with a bit of imagination
at the Nashua Public Library. On Dec. 29 bring a friend to the library
to discover RPG – Role Playing Game – Adventures.
Perfect for anyone who's ever turned a bed sheet into a superhero cape.
For ages 13 to 17.

Dungeons
& Dragons for ages 6 and up - To help promote
their upcoming novel Monster
Slayers, Wizards of the Coast has put together Monster
Slayers: The Heroes of Hesiod, a stripped-down version of Dungeons
& Dragons that's fast, fun, and playable by
adventurers as young as six. Best of all, it's completely free!

The game itself is a very simple version of the D&D
combat rules (so simple that they could have come from any previous
edition), and the adventure that's included doesn't involve a lot of
actual role-playing, but any good Dungeon Master will be able to draw
that out of the players with a little effort. To play, you'll need a
copy of the PDF, pencil and paper, a d20 and d6 (or three d6s if you
don't have any d20s lying around), and some adventurous friends.

The page for the site also briefly mentions the benefits to young
people from playing games like Dungeons & Dragons,
and even suggests that this may be a good "starter package" to
introduce RPGs in a library program.
Read more and download the PDF here: www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4dnd/monsterslayers

NATIONAL
GAMING DAY @ YOUR LIBRARY IS COMING SOON - It's that time
of year again - National
Gaming Day @ Your Library will happen in a little more than a
month, on November 14th of this year.

Libraries all over the country will be participating, hosting events of
board games, video games, and even some tabletop RPGs - though in many
cases, roleplaying games are underrepresented, or not present at all.
This will be an excellent opportunity to promote roleplaying games to
new and experienced players, to raise awareness of what they are and
how much fun they can be, and even gauge interest in potential RPG
clubs at the library.

If you are a librarian who would like to participate, be sure to visit ngd.ala.org, and if you
are a non-librarian who would like to volunteer, contact your local
library and offer your services!

And as always, whenever you host any kind of RPG event at a library, let me know
about it, and I'll promote it here on the Terra Libris page.

(While you're here - don't miss Liz Danforth's excellent
poster
that she created to promote the event. I'm happy to see some RPG dice
represented there, along with popular board and video game icons!)

LIZ DANFORTH
INTERVIEW ON GROGNARDIA
- I've been a fan of Liz Danforth's art for a very long time,
and
even had the honor of meeting her at a convention in 2002. She is a
very classy lady, and one of our hobby's true treasures.

Grognardia,
a blog that explores the history and traditions of roleplaying,
recently published a two-part interview with Liz in which she discusses
her artwork, being a female gamer in a male-dominated hobby, and lots
of great information about the benefits of all kinds of gaming
(including RPGs) and how well they work in libraries. Read
all
about it here: Part
1 - Part
2

MAKING THE
CASE FOR GAMING @ YOUR LIBRARY
- The ALA's Library Gaming Toolkit website has released an
excellent page of resources for advocating games in libraries - Making
the Case for Gaming @ Your Library.

How
good is it? Well, it links to The Escapist and calls it an "excellent
advocacy resource." So that should give you a pretty good idea.

TEN LIBRARY
GAMING GRANTS ANNOUNCED
- The American Library Association plans to give away ten $5,000 grants
to libraries that want to develop and implement "literacy gaming
services" for young people.

This
includes all forms of gaming - video games, board and card games,
collectible card games, and (my personal favorite) tabletop roleplaying
games. This is an excellent opportunity to help promote RPGs in
libraries. If you are a librarian or library volunteer and would like
to know more, visit librarygamingtoolkit.org
- and to fill out an application, visit librarygamingtoolkit.org/rfp

Here is the full press release:

CHICAGO
– The American Library Association (ALA) Office for Literacy and
Outreach Services is seeking applications from public, school and
academic libraries interested in developing and implementing innovative
literacy gaming services for youth ages 10-18.

This program is part of ALA’s Libraries, Literacy and Gaming initiative
funded by Verizon.

Ten
$5,000.00 grants will be awarded to libraries clearly demonstrating
creativity, capacity, sustainability and a strong commitment to
literacy-related gaming services. In addition, the winning libraries
will receive ongoing support and technical assistance from a team of
nationally recognized library gaming experts. Winners will be announced
during National Library Week, April 12-18. The grant application is
available online at http://librarygamingtoolkit.org/rfp . All
applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm, Friday, March 20.

“There
is no doubt that gaming and literacy go hand-in-hand. Board and video
games come with text of all kinds including instructions, menus and
much more. Learning the language and mechanics of any game, from chess
to Little Big Planet, involves acquiring a new vocabulary and a new set
of 21st century literacy skills,” said Dale Lipschultz, Literacy
Officer, Office for Literacy and Outreach Services.

Gaming
is one example of how libraries continue to change to meet the needs of
their communities and users, offering innovative programs and services
that educate, entertain and expand interaction with their patrons.

On Nov. 15, hundreds of libraries across the country
celebrated the ALA’s first annual National Gaming Day @ your
library. Libraries of all types joined in the celebration by
registering for two national gaming activities: a national video game
tournament and board game challenge.

"A CASE FOR TABLETOP RPGS" IN THE
LIBRARY - The
School Library Journal just published an article by Cason Snow titled
"Tabletop Fantasy RPGs - Tips for introducing role-playing games in
your library" that excellently points out the benefits of that effort:

Genesee
Valley BOCES Library System has produced a landmark document (sls.gvboces.org/gaming/standards)
that relates board gaming to the American Association of School
Librarians Standards for the 21st-Century Learner (ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/aaslproftools/learningstandards/standards.cfm).
While these standards were established for board games, the document
should be used as a model for making a case for tabletop RPGs. Each of
the four standards can be directly addressed by playing RPGs. Players
think critically and analyze information, make informed decisions and
apply knowledge to new situations when interacting with the game’s
setting and cultures, share knowledge and weigh moral consequences of
their actions, and participate in creating stories that last beyond the
end of the session. By addressing these standards and demonstrating the
direct link between gaming and learning, RPGs can gain support from
administrators and teachers.

The
article also includes some basic tips on where to find RPG materials,
and how to find assistance and ideas online. You can read it here,
and it will be added to the list of Terra Libris resources.

NATIONAL
GAMING DAY A SUCCESS - Jenny at the ALA's News about Games and Gaming
site has issued an early report on the results of National
Gaming Day @ Your Library:

617 libraries registered to participate

597 libraries reported results back to us

14,184 people participated in NGD at those 597
libraries

5,548 people played Pictureka!
on Gaming Day

1,137 people played Dungeons
& Dragons or Magic: The Gathering

Personally,
I'd rather they separate D&D
and M:tG,
just to get a clearer number that we can try to beat next year. You can
read the full post here,
which includes lots of anecdotes from libraries all over the United
States.

If you participated in National Gaming Day, and ran an RPG for library
patrons, let us know about it! Contact me at

11/15/08 IS NATIONAL GAME
DAY @ YOUR LIBRARY - This
Saturday, libraries all over the United States will be participating in
National Gaming Day, an effort to raise awareness about the use of
games in library programs, expose people to new kinds of games, and
enable networking between game clubs and libraries.

The focus seems to be primarily on video and board
games, but Wizards of
the Coast has donated copies of Dungeons &
Dragons to help promote the event. This would be an
excellent time to contact your local library about organizing a
roleplaying program - it may be too late to prepare one in time for
Saturday, but most libraries would love to have volunteers the rest of
the year.

Join us for our newest gaming club - an
interactive adventure game based on the Lord of the Rings
Trilogy.
This paper/pencil gaming club is open to youth age 10 or older.
Participants should have read the book and/or seen the movies.
Contact: (520) 594-5600

Games Played: Living Forgotten Realms,
Pathfinder, D&D, D&D
Miniatures, and any other RPGs, card games, board games etc. that
people want to run. Vegas Gamers members also run
games on
other days and places. Check out the Events section at vegasgamers.org
to see all the scheduled events. 833 Las Vegas Blvd N Just south of
Washington St. For more information, call (702) 455-8200

Special programs offered throughout the
summer for teens (ages ages 12 to 18) including crafts, writing, dance,
Dungeons & Dragons, book discussion groups, video and board
games. Participating teens are invited to an end of the summer Teen
Library Takeover Aug. 13.

Teen Fantasy Gaming Group -Whether you play
Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons &
Dragons, or something else, join this popular group and be
part of a self-contained fantasy game. Call (978) 658-2967 for details.

Local teens in grades seven to 12 are
invited to an introduction to the game Dungeons & Dragons
by
the staff of Critical
Hit Games. Other
board and card games that promote creativity will be included as
well. For more information, call the fiction desk at 356-5200
or
e-mail teens@icpl.org.

Intro to Role-Playing Games - These two
hours will have teenagers looking at the
history of role-playing games from the classic pen and paper games to
today’s modern video games. Materials provided.
Contact: 817-295-6131

A twice monthly fantasy role-playing game
group at Johnson Memorial
Library. Librarian Dustin Harris facilitates the adventures, and
refreshments are provided by the Friends of the Hicksville Library. For
more info, call 419-542-6200 or email murphyam@oplin.org.

Teens can make new friends and share with
others their passion for role-playing games including Dungeons
& Dragons. Equipment not necessary. Weekly
participation encouraged and college students welcomed. Recommended for
ages 13-up. Contact: (941) 861-5000

Dungeons
& Dragons: Open Games - Join us for this classic
role playing game. Together we storm the
castles, grapple the monsters, sneak attack the unaware, and look good
doing it! Contact: (816)701-3481